Mobile phone radiation and your health

We all have mobile phones (over three billion worldwide), but what are the health issues associated with using a phone on our bodies? In this blog, I want to break open the mystery surrounding their usage and get clear on the facts.

The information I present here is a mixture of research by SaferWave, an organisation which has pioneered research into mobile phone usage, papers from various health organisations and my own personal experiences.

The science of Mobile Phone radiation

A mobile phone including, traditional button and modern smartphones and emit a radio frequency in the microwave band that interacts with our body’s electrical system. It is this interaction that can cause short terms symptoms like memory loss, poor sleep and headaches to long term dangers like brain cancer and dementia.

Vital Organs and cells are all affected by using a mobile phone.

It’s all about Frequency

Our brain resonates at a healthy frequency of between 9.1 and 40 Hz and our organs have an overall frequency of up to 10Hz. A standard phone signal emits a frequency of 1800 Hz but it is not this that creates a measurable health effect.

It is actually the gaps between the signals akin to static noise heard from radio and TV that are doing the most damage. This noise is sent in pulses or waves, not one continual frequency so our bodies do not get a chance to adapt to them.

It is these transient waveforms that can disrupt the human body and lead to functional impairment of cell and organ operation.

For mobile phones, a pulse starts 217 times per second emitting a frequency between 30000-80000 MHz each time.

Simply put – Imagine the cells in your body happily vibrating together at a certain frequency and then they are disturbed with higher frequencies from your mobile phone.

Pockets and Jackets are no place for a phone

The closer your phone is to your body the greater the health effects. So whilst putting a phone in your trouser or jacket pocket seems logical it is still having an effect on your cells and vital organs.

Sleeping with your phone

Your phone is radiating while you sleep as well!

A lot of clients I work with sleep next to their phones to take advantage of its alarm clock. If you do the same, remember your phone will still be busy radiating while you sleep!

Nowadays your phone doesn’t just make calls and texts. Your phone is always sending and receiving emails and updating apps and social media channels. To do this your phone is constantly connected to either your mobile carrier or a wireless network so yet more radiation to deal with.

Home cordless phones radiate too

Digital phones have the same damaging characteristics but more intensified. Both the base station and the phone itself are in constant communication and, therefore, emitting radiation continuously.

What do health authorities and governments have to say?

incident rates for tumours over past 10 years

Science often takes years to connect the dots. Back in the 1950s doctors would recommend cigarettes as healthy and a great way to relax – now it’s common knowledge that they can cause lung and heart related diseases.

Now in 2011, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a paper classifying mobile phones as possible carcinogens. The UK Government’s Chief Medical Officers advise that children and young people under 16 should be encouraged to use mobile phones for essential purposes only, and to keep calls short.

Research carried out by the ElectromagneticHealth.org identified a rise in brain tumours in the region of the brain closest to where a phone is held.Also, the BioInitiative Report from a group of leading scientist pointed to the fact that cells in older humans had a decreased their ability to repair after exposure to mobile phone radiation.

So whilst health agencies are not condemning mobile phone usage they are advising us to take precautions – why if they are totally safe?

My experience with mobile phones

I have never been much of a chatty human being who likes to “catch up” on the phone and prefer to arrange a meeting or quickly discuss the subject and end the call. One thing I do notice is how the area around my ear where the phone is tends to warm up and I feel a sense of irritation.

I used to have difficulty sleeping and slept right next to my phone. Now I turn it off and put it in another room overnight and my sleep patterns are much better.

Other electrical devices are harmful too

Critics of this blog will point to the fact that there are many other sources of Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMFs) and radiation that could be causing adverse health effects. I totally agree with

EMFs are everywhere so protection is important

the; we have a multitude of devices from laptops, tablets, home phones, baby monitors and smart televisions; all of which emit levels of radiation and EMFs. However mobile phones do tend to be around us all the time whether in our pockets, bags or even next to us when we sleep, constantly emitting EMFs and radiating.

It’s not about how bad each individual technology, instead what the cumulative effect of all of them together can have on our health.

Also, we are rarely alone these days so it’s not just our phones that are affecting our health; so too are the phones of those other humans around us. Imagine the harmful levels being emitted from phones on a bus or in a football stadium or concert.

To summarise, I recommend not holding a phone to your head (use a headset instead), avoid storing it in your pocket or bra and you should definitely avoid using your phone for prolonged periods of time.

All of these recommendations require a change in behaviour to protect your body from harmful radiation which is sometimes difficult.

One amazing product I recommend to all clients is the SaferWave Phone Protector, which removes up to 98% of the biological effects of radiation on your body whilst not compromising the functionality of your mobile phone. Read my blog “Protect yourself from phone radiation” for more details on this product.

So is phone radiation harmful?

Yes, I feel based on my research that whilst we may not be seeing masses of humans dying as a result of using them; the technology is still relatively young and the long term usage effects unknown. Therefore, I recommend using them less frequently and also to protect yourself when you do.

About Carl the IT Hound

I am passionate about all things technical and in helping businesses to improve how they work and experience greater efficiencies with the right technology
http://ithound.co.uk

About IT Hound

IT Hound provides a platform for businesses where all their communications and data are organised securely online and can be accessed by staff anywhere on any device. This provides for more flexible working models enabling teams to collaborate on mobile basis and make more informed decisions.